Corporate Merger
by lakergirl4life
Summary: To prevent a mob war, Jason proposes to Claudia. Jaudia.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: To clarify, John is Johnny Zacchara and Johnny is Jason/Sonny's old guard.

**April 2004**

Claudia dropped her purse on Jason's desk, "You wanted to see me?" Claudia asked. It had taken a few years, but she finally established a good working relationship with the Corinthos-Morgan organization. She didn't trust Sonny, but for the most part she trusted Jason. He wasn't going to double-cross her, if he was going to go after her territory he'd be up front about it. Their organizations traveled in different circles and as long as they stayed out of her business she stayed out of theirs.

Jason nodded to Milo, "Close the door behind you," Jason said, dismissing the guard. He motioned for Claudia to sit down. "How much money did you lose this month because of Alcazar?"

"That's none of your business." Alcazar stole two of her shipments and sank another. The only reason he wasn't dead was because he had government connections that would come gunning for her if he turned up dead.

"I'm guessing you've lost close to seven figures because of him," Jason said. He didn't have exact figures, but he knew the Zaccharas lost three shipments. Over the past three months, he'd lost 8 shipments. He was sick of the losses but finally had an idea how to stop Alcazar with minimal bloodshed.

"This matters to you why?" Claudia asked.

"Every time Alcazar interferes with one of my shipments, I'm guessing he interferes with one of yours," Jason said. "I think he's gearing up for a war and I want to know where you stand."

"Think I'm going to side with that sociopath?" Claudia asked. Lorenzo Alcazar was scum and deserved to die. Not for messing with her shipments but for kidnapping her brother last summer, holding him hostage until she agreed to move his shipments. John was just a kid, he wanted nothing to do with the business, much to her father's disappointment. He should've spent last summer traveling around Europe with his friends before his first semester of college. Instead he was chained to a wall like an animal until all of Alcazar's shipments arrived in tact.

Jason tossed a stack of photos on his desk, "He's sleeping with Faith." Faith Rosco was crazy on a good day, on a bad day she was dangerous. She was a horrible business woman, when Sonny killed her husband she had all the resources available to her to make it on her own. But she wasn't driven by logic, she was driven by revenge and spite. She squandered away her husband's money trying to avenge his death and in the end, she was left with a string of properties that were useless without the proper finances. The only reason that anyone ever did business with her was because they needed her piers. Faith didn't have enough money to bankroll a war, but Alcazar did. Her piers coupled with his bank account and connections, meant one thing for him and Claudia - trouble.

Claudia flipped through the pictures disdainfully, "They deserve each other." It was because of woman like Faith that she had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously as a businesswoman. She worked hard to get where she was. Her father doubted her, he underestimated her and the only reason he let her get involved was because he trusted her more than Trevor. She was well aware of the fact that she'd never have full control, that when her father turned his business over he wanted John to run it. Luckily for her the last thing on John's mind was the business, he was more interested in school and music than territory and drugs. "Thanks for the heads up."

"I have a proposition for you," Jason said. His brilliant plan sounded great in his head, but now that he was about to share it with Claudia he wasn't so sure. Justus thought he was insane and he hadn't even told Sonny about it. Now he knew how Carly felt when she had a _plan_. But his plan wasn't going to turn out like one of Carly's. It couldn't. His execution had to be flawless, two words from Claudia and it would be.

"A proposition?" Claudia asked, flashing a smile. "Sounds enticing."

Jason reached inside his desk and handed Claudia a stack of documents, "I have an arrangement that can be mutually beneficial."

Claudia started flipping through the papers, "Okay - this is a listing of our properties," Claudia said. They had more holdings than Alcazar and Faith, but Faith's piers were the most sought after property on the waterfront.

"Keep reading," Jason said.

Claudia set aside asset sheet and picked up the next document, "This is a marriage license," Claudia said.

"We work well together," Jason said. "The best way to ward off Alcazar is to present a united front and a business marriage is the way to do that."

"Are you crazy?" Claudia asked. "Why the hell would I marry you?" Just because she and Jason had a good working relationship didn't mean they needed to pick out china patterns. "We have a truce - "

"Do you trust me?" Jason asked.

Claudia hesitated before answering, "Mostly," she said. Jason was honest but he wasn't loyal to her - he was loyal to Sonny. He had to look out for his best interests and she had to look out for hers. Sometimes his best interests matched hers, but often times they didn't.

"Right - I mostly trust you," Jason said. "But how do I know you won't sell me out to Alcazar?"

"How do I know you won't sell me out?" Claudia asked.

"You don't," Jason said. "I don't." He reached in his desk again and tossed a jewelry box at Claudia. "This does."

Opening the box, Claudia gasped. "Is this - "

"A red diamond," Jason said. When it came to picking out jewelry he was out of his element. Money wasn't an object and when the jeweler asked him what his _girlfriend_ liked in terms of jewelry two words came to mind - expensive and red.

"Is this natural?" Claudia asked. Red diamonds were rare, she had a few but it was practically impossible to get a hold of a natural one.

"The certificate says so," Jason said.

"So because you gave me an incredible ring, I'm supposed to marry you," Claudia said. "I don't want to get married." Marriage destroyed her mother, she refused to let her life be ruined for something so trivial.

"People like us aren't meant for real marriages or families," Jason said. He'd been married twice. He and Brenda got married for all the wrong reasons but oddly enough it worked out better than his marriage to Courtney which was for all the right reasons. Brenda had no illusions about who he was, she didn't make any demands on him and didn't expect him change. Courtney had been just the opposite and their marriage ended in a bitter divorce that convinced him he was better off single. "It makes sense for us to be married, we can keep Alcazar at bay - "

"Until he's dead or leaves town and then you think you can buy me off with a hefty alimony settlement?" Claudia asked as she skimmed the prenup. "I don't need your money. I'm Claudia Antonia Zacchara and I do not need a man to provide for me. I have - "

Jason rubbed his forehead, "I can take it out." What the hell was it with women having a problem accepting money from him? Brenda hadn't wanted a dime, Courtney hadn't wanted any of his blood money and now Claudia was insulted he was offering her alimony when they got divorced.

"While you're at it, tell your cousin to draw up a will and add some sort of clause that if I die of something other than natural causes, your assets along with mine go to my brother." She doubted that Jason would kill her in her sleep or stage a car accident, if he hadn't killed her already she didn't think he would once they were married, but she wanted her bases covered.

"Fine," Jason said. "I want the same clause in there for me, and your assets go to my business partner."

Claudia laughed, "This has to be the worst marriage proposal I've ever gotten," Claudia said.

"What? You want me down on one knee?" Jason asked.

"Maybe some other time," Claudia teased. Every so often she wondered why she and Jason didn't get together. She didn't know much about his personal life, but from what she did know almost every woman he was involved with had a problem with his job. The one exception to that had been Carly, but she'd wrecked him a different way. If she and Jason had ever gotten together, the last thing either of them needed to worry about was one seeing the other as a cold blooded killer, because they both were. The fact that they'd never hooked up had more to do with Jason than herself, she probably would've followed him anywhere - for a night. But he had too much self-control to cloud his business judgment by sleeping with the enemy. "You said this was mutually beneficial - aside from keeping my territory how does this benefit me?"

"Your father will hate it," Jason said. The older Zacchara got, the more he had to depend on his daughter and he hated it, he hated having to depend on a woman for anything. Zacchara didn't trust Claudia, but he trusted that she wouldn't screw over her brother and that was the only reason he let her be involved. He knew Claudia hated it, but she had to put up with it if she wanted to work in the family business.

"He will," Claudia said. Her father was going to hate that this pulled her in deeper. He still had delusions about her meeting a nice man and settling down and starting a family. More so, he was going to hate that by marrying Jason she now had more power than him and everything he held over her head no longer applied. "Sonny's going to hate it too."

"What Sonny thinks doesn't matter," Jason said.

"The rumors are true then, about Sonny leaving?" Claudia asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. "Sonny is leaving town next week, he's transferring everything to me. I want us married before he leaves." Sonny couldn't handle the stress of the business, so he was leaving. It was important that Sonny support this decision, at least publicly because even though he was leaving he still had some sway and connections. He needed Sonny's contacts to have faith in him, if Sonny trusted and supported him they would too.

"Next week?" Claudia asked. "Short engagement, but to be clear I am not having an engagement party with your family."

"That won't be a problem," Jason said. The less involvement the Quartermaines had with his life the better. Maybe this marriage would work out better than his marriage to Brenda. His biggest complaint about his marriage to Brenda was that she tried dragging him to the mansion every chance she had. That wouldn't be a problem with Claudia.

"Do you have everything planned or do I need to hire someone to plan a wedding?" Claudia asked. Unlike most women, she hadn't had her wedding dress picked out when she was ten. And if she had to pick a maid of honor, she didn't have a clue because she didn't have a single female friend.

"No," Jason said. "I figured we could get married at the court house and then have a reception and invite everyone that needs to know."

"Good, I don't need a white dress then. What's in it for you?" Claudia asked.

"Your name - your shipping lanes," Jason said. There were some people that were hesitant to do business with him because he wasn't as established as some of the older families. Marrying into the Zacchara family legitimized him in certain circles, it would also help with the transition. Having the Zaccharas as an ally would keep anyone that doubted the transition at bay. Even if Anthony wanted to make a move against him, he couldn't because Claudia would undercut him.

"You use me - I use you," Claudia said. "That works. By the way, I'm not living in your penthouse. We have to live together, right?"

"I'm not living with your family," Jason said.

"I don't even like living with my family," Claudia said. The only reason she'd stayed at home as long as she had was because of John. Now that he finished up his first year of college he planned on moving out and she no longer had a reason to stay home.

"We can rent out the penthouse floor at the Port Charles Hotel," Jason said.

"What is it with you and penthouses?" Claudia asked. "Doesn't your family own that hotel. I'm not living there."

"I don't care where we live - you can pick, just make sure there's room for a pool table," Jason said.

"Fine, you're in charge of the reception and I'll find us a place to live," Claudia said. "While we're negotiating - I don't care if you have a mistress or a string of mistresses, but I don't want them in my home." She had no illusions about her impending marriage, she knew Jason didn't love her and she didn't love him. But there was no way in hell that she was going to be disrespected in her home. Her mother had stood by while her father flaunted mistress after mistress in front of her and it ultimately broke her. The circumstances were different, but she wasn't going to let her husband disrespect her.

"The same goes for you," Jason said. He didn't care who Claudia slept with. As long as it wasn't one of his enemies or employees and she didn't get herself killed on his watch, she could sleep with whomever she wanted to.

"Fine," Claudia said. She wasn't seeing anyone seriously, she never did. She had more ambitious goals than falling in love. "So do we have a deal?"

"Yeah," Jason said, gesturing to her ring. "Put that on. I'll have Justus redraw the papers and your lawyer can look them over. I'll be in touch."

Claudia slipped the ring on her finger and watched Jason leave. She admired the flawless red diamond for a moment then grabbed her phone, dialing her realtor.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

"Good - you're home," Claudia said, walking around to the other side of her father's desk. She gave her father an obligatory kiss on the cheek.

"I'm busy," Anthony said.

"I have news," Claudia said. "Important news." She waved her left hand in front of her father's face. "I'm getting married."

A smile filled Anthony's face, "This is news," Anthony said, standing to give her a hug. "This calls for a celebration." He never thought he'd see the day that his daughter got married. Claudia always said she never wanted to marry, that she wanted to devote her time to the organization instead of a raising a family. "I wasn't aware you were seeing anyone." Truth be told, he knew little about her personal life. He couldn't remember the last time she brought home a date.

"I'm not," Claudia said, stepping back from her father. She wanted to get his full reaction when she dropped her bombshell. "Jason Morgan proposed to me and I accepted."

"What?" Anthony asked, shoving a stack of papers off his desk. "No - no daughter of mine is going to marry the enemy. I won't allow it."

"You can't stop it," Claudia said. "I'm not a little girl, you don't get to dictate my life anymore. Alcazar and Faith are getting ready to start a war, this is a way to stop it."

"No," Anthony insisted, walking across the room to pour himself a drink. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me. If Alcazar and that woman want a war - I'll give them a war."

Claudia laughed, "What's the matter Daddy? Are you upset that you didn't think of this first?" Then again, maybe not. He wanted her as far away from the business as possible, and marrying her off to an ally wouldn't serve his purposes. "This is going to work. Wars cost money, and we've been losing a lot of money since Alcazar started interfering with our shipments." It wasn't just the shipments they lost, they lost money every time they had to retaliate, they'd lost a few lives of the men that worked for them - that cost money too, severance packages for the families in addition to paying for the funerals.

"You don't belong - "

"On the contrary, Daddy," Claudia interrupted. "I belong and once I'm Mrs. Jason Morgan, I'm going to make you so much money that you'll have to give me more control. Unless - you don't want me sharing all your secrets with my husband, do you?" It was an empty threat and her father knew it. She was completely loyal to him despite the way he treated her. But that was before she had options, she'd be able to run shipments on her own and the stronger her personal power base became the weaker his would become. She'd never willingly turn on her father, she still needed things from him, every piece of Zacchara property was in his name. But if push came to shove and it was him against her, at least now she'd have an ally he couldn't intimidate.

"He'll never love you," Anthony said.

"I'm okay with that," Claudia said. She didn't need Jason to love her to work with him. In fact, things would be better if they didn't love each other. The way she saw things, she and Jason were a lot alike - business was their number one priority. As long as things remained that way, they'd have a very profitable future. "I don't need to be destroyed like you destroyed my mother."

* * *

"You're what?" Sonny asked. He must be hearing things. He could've sworn he heard Jason say he was marrying Claudia Zacchara.

"You heard me," Jason said. "Claudia and I are getting married on Saturday. I'd like you to come to the reception."

"Have you lost your mind?" Sonny asked. "She's a viper, she'll eat you alive. You can't trust her." He hadn't even left yet and Jason was already making bad decisions. "The first chance she gets, she's going to stab you in the back."

"She won't," Jason said. She couldn't. Because stabbing him in the back cut her out of the business and that was the last thing she wanted. "Let me deal with Claudia." Marrying Claudia was the smart decision. It came down to her being the lesser of two evils, three if you counted Faith.

"Is this about Courtney?" Sonny asked. He thought that Jason had been dealing with divorcing Courtney, but obviously he was wrong. He never pictured Jason as self-destructive, but if he was planning on marrying Claudia he must be. He couldn't think of one logical explanation for marrying that woman. "I can call her - "

"Leave Courtney out of this," Jason said. Oddly enough, it was his disastrous marriage to Courtney that convinced him that marrying for love didn't work. "We're over, she left town to live her own life. Now I'm going to live mine - "

"With Zacchara's daughter?" Sonny asked. "I can't let you do this. I want - "

"The business is mine," Jason said. He valued Sonny's opinion, but the bottom line was that he was running things now. "I'm going to deal with things my own way and this is how I'm going to deal with Alcazar, Faith and Zacchara."

"Leave Alcazar alone, he'll back off. Don't - "

Jason shook his head, wondering if Sonny had listened to anything he'd told him. "Not doing anything is what cost us five million dollars." When Alcazar started messing with their shipments, Sonny hadn't wanted any action taken. He hadn't wanted to retaliate because he wanted things to run smoothly for his final weeks in Port Charles. But Sonny wasn't running things any more, and he wasn't going to sit by and wait for someone to back off. He was going to take action and make sure Alcazar thought twice about messing with his shipments again. " I don't want a war but doing nothing is going to cost us - me, more."

"I didn't build this organization for you to turn it over to the Zacchara's," Sonny said.

"I'm not turning it over," Jason said. "They have their business and I have mine. You need to accept it and let me run things my way. The wedding is on Saturday and I expect you there."

* * *

Carly leaned closer to her husband Johnny, and lowered her voice, "Remind me why we're here again?" Carly asked. After Jason got divorced from Courtney she was positive that he would never get married again. Apparently, she was wrong. Because here she was at Jason and Claudia's wedding reception.

"He's your best friend," Johnny whispered. "You also planned the reception."

"Do you have any idea how many times he told me my plans were never going to work - "

"He was right, your plans never worked," Johnny pointed out. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from the nearest waiter, handing one to Carly.

Carly glared at Johnny, "Maybe if people had been more supportive of my plans they would've worked."

"Maybe," Johnny said, laughing when Carly hit his arm. He motioned Jason over to them, "It's not to late to back out of this. Justus can have the whole thing annulled by morning." He knew that big risks meant big rewards but he had no idea how Jason was going to keep this strictly business. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it - Claudia wasn't just a powerful woman, she was drop dead gorgeous and there was nothing sexier than a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, except for one you couldn't have.

Jason shrugged, "This is going to work," Jason said. "It has to work, because we don't have the personnel to fight a war right now. Especially with Sonny leaving - even though everyone knows and trusts me, there's going to be some push back from the outside."

Carly took a sip of her champagne, "Did you have to _marry_ her?" Carly asked. "Couldn't you two have just had a long engagement or something?"

"I thought you got along with Claudia," Jason said. Carly and Claudia were far from being friends, but they both didn't get along with the same people. Claudia had a brief fling with Nikolas, and that put her on Alexis' bad side and any enemy of Alexis' was a friend of Carly's by default. Not to mention the Elizabeth factor, they both hated her. Claudia hated her because she wanted to date her brother John. Carly hated her simply for existing.

"Kind of," Carly said. Her liking or disliking Claudia didn't have anything to do with it. She was selfish, she wasn't married to Jason or even interested in getting together with him again, but the simple fact that he married another woman, even though it was just on paper, grated on her. She was a hypocrite, she'd married his best friend not once, but twice - first Sonny, and then Johnny, but he wasn't supposed to get married.

Jason pulled Carly to him for a quick hug, "You can still call me at 4am," Jason said.

Johnny looked at Carly strangely, "You call him at 4 in the morning?" Johnny asked. It should bother him that his wife had a close relationship with another man, but it didn't. He knew from the get go that accepting Carly meant accepting her close friendship with Jason. The two of them never really got a fair shot at a relationship, but they'd been to hell and back more times than he could count and at the end of the day, mainly Carly's marriage to Sonny, she and Jason were the only ones standing.

Carly laughed, remembering the conversation she had with Jason before he married Courtney. "Only if it's really important," Carly said.

* * *

Claudia smoothed her deep red dress, and straightened John's tie. "Daddy's mad." Her father was playing the part of the proud father, but proud he was anything but. Maybe she hadn't had her wedding dress picked out since she was ten but her father had been waiting for her to get married since she was sixteen. He was convinced that once she got married she would get out of _his world_ and be more concerned with tea parties than union meetings. But marrying Jason wasn't what her father had in mind. Her father wanted to hold the organization over her head, and marrying the most powerful man in Port Charles gave her the kind of power her father never wanted her to have.

"Disappointed is more like it," John said. "You didn't have to do this. I don't want the business." His father couldn't make him the head of a family he had no interest in running. "When he dies - I'll transfer everything to you. I'll have it put in writing if you want."

Claudia kissed John's cheek, "I know, I believe you," Claudia said. "But this isn't just about the future. It's about now - and I need to do this." She needed to start establishing herself as her own person, separate from being Anthony Zacchara's daughter. She was well aware of the fact that some people who were reluctant to do business with her before would be intimidated by the fact that she was Jason's wife. As long as it got in her in the door she didn't care. She was going to use every advantage she could to build her own holdings. But more importantly, wars were expensive. She didn't want to waste money getting into a war with Alcazar and Faith when she could use that money and build for the future.

"I'll never understand why you need to be a part of this," John said. Just because she was a woman, didn't mean she didn't have a right to work in the family business. He just didn't understand her desire to want to be head of the family. She was smart, talented and driven. Claudia accomplished anything she set her mind to, he just didn't understand why _this_ I was her goal.

"I'll never understand why you don't," Claudia said. She turned when she hear a light knock on the door.

The door opened slightly and her guard entered the room, "Your father is looking for you," Zander said. "He wants to make a toast."

Claudia rolled her eyes, "We'll be right there." As much as her father hated this, he wasn't going to let anyone other than her and Jason know it. Because not supporting her marriage would weaken his position.

John grabbed her arm and led her back to the reception, "To the happy couple."

Claudia laughed and walked over to her father, "Let's get this show on the road," Claudia said, motioning Jason to come over to her. "Daddy wants to make a toast."

Jason handed Claudia a glass of champagne and grabbed one for himself, wishing he had the foresight to tell the waiters to bring him beer - he hated champagne. "Okay," Jason said. He glanced around the room, a who's who of organized crime - both their allies and their adversaries. Most people invited their families to their wedding, he didn't. Aside from Justus, no one from the Quartermaines was present. On the Zacchara side of the family, it was just Anthony and John. As for friends, Carly got to come because she wouldn't take no for an answer plus she was Johnny's wife and Sonny did decide to show up despite his protests. Gia was the only person Claudia invited who wasn't a business associate. Even though Claudia and Gia were friends, he knew her invitation had more to do with wanting Gia to get together with her brother than anything else.

"I'd like everyone to raise their glasses," Anthony said. He may not agree with this marriage, but there was nothing he could've done to stop it. Now that it had taken place, he was going to benefit from it as much as Morgan and Claudia. "Here's to my daughter, Claudia, and her husband, Jason. Raise your glasses and remember this truth, a family united against those who are not will prevail. The strength of a family is in its' loyalty to each other. Cent'anni." He raised his glass again and everyone repeated, Cent'anni.

Claudia choked back a groan as her father made his toast, she smiled at her father, accepting his kiss on the cheek even though it was just for show, "Thanks Daddy," Claudia whispered. She turned to Jason and smiled, clinking her glass with his. She took a few drinks then set it down, "Kiss me." This marriage wasn't real, everyone in the room knew it wasn't real. Making everyone believe their marriage was real wasn't the point. The point was for everyone to respect their marriage, maybe even wonder if she and Jason were closer than they thought. Although her father's toast was melodramatic, it couldn't have been more true. The more united she appeared with Jason, the less likely it was for anyone to try to turn one against the other. Jason lowered his mouth to Claudia's, stopping right before his lips met hers. Claudia's eyes fluttered closed, she'd always wondered if Jason was a good kisser and the perfunctory peck he'd given her at their wedding ceremony hadn't given her any indication of his kissing style.

He knew this was for show, that he and Claudia were on display for every person in the room. No one here thought their marriage was real, but that didn't matter. Their marriage didn't need to be real in order for it to work, in fact it would make things easier if things were strictly business between them. Jason pulled back and whispered, "Cent'anni."


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

**January 2007**

"Can you pour me a cup?" Claudia asked. "Thanks." She handed Jason the paper, "Have you looked at this?"

"Not yet," Jason said, skimming the front page. "They found a dead body in the harbor."

"Well?" Claudia asked. "Was it you?" She reached across the table and grabbed the uneaten bagel from Jason's plate. Over the past three years they'd developed somewhat of a routine. They almost always had breakfast together and then they were free to do whatever they wanted to do the rest of the day. Their business lives crossed more than their personal ones. With Sonny out of the picture, Jason diversified his operations and from time to time he provided the financing for her to bring in drugs. His only stipulation was that he didn't want it on the streets, and she was fine with that. Non-approved FDA drugs had a higher markup than street drugs. "We have that shipment coming in tonight. You promised me you'd help supervise the unloading. I need to know if I need to find someone else while I play the concerned wife at the police station." Claudia took a bite of her bagel and made a face, "Egg?" She reached for the cream cheese and put on a generous amount. "You need to tell your cousin that when I call him, I expect him to come to the police station."

"I was going to eat that," Jason said. He rolled his eyes when Claudia smiled before taking another bite. "I'll be at the piers tonight. As for Justus, he's my lawyer - not yours. He doesn't have show up when you call him unless I'm in jail."

"My lawyer was out of townཀ" Claudia said.

"Do you want to share a lawyer?" Jason asked. The lines on their professional relationship were getting more than a little blurred. They still ran separate organizations but they worked together a lot. He had access to her shipping lanes and she could use his piers whenever she wanted to. He didn't mind talking business with her, he didn't always take her advice but he had to admit she offered a fresh perspective and made him see things he hadn't previously considered. It didn't bother him to talk specifics with her, because Claudia wasn't going to undercut him. Aside from their joint projects, they still did business in different circles.

"Mine or yours?" Claudia asked. She didn't trust Trevor Lansing as far as she could throw him. She'd rather spend the night in jail than have to depend on him to get her out.

"Mine," Jason said. "I'll talk to Justus about raising his retainer."

Claudia nodded, "Take it out of our joint account," Claudia said. Like most married couples, they had a joint bank account to pay for all their household expenses. Only they would include a legal retainer as a household expense.

"I'll make sure that Justus knows he has to come to the police station when you call him." He knew without asking that Justus wouldn't be handling all of the Zacchara business, just Claudia's. "Your father is going to have a fit," Jason said.

Claudia laughed, "My father hates you," Claudia said. Even though her marriage to Jason strengthened her father's power base, he hated it because it solidified hers. Her father had to tread careful ground, because he couldn't just cut her out of the loop because doing so would aggravate their strongest ally - her husband.

"That's nothing new," Jason said. Anthony had hated him from the moment they met, and more so when he married Claudia. He'd been appalled at the idea of them marrying at the courthouse and ordered them to get married at the Zacchara estate or there would be no wedding. Claudia insisted it wasn't worth the argument and she gave in. He wasn't sure he'd ever understand Claudia's relationship with her father. No matter how hard she tried or how much money she made him, whatever she did was never good enough for him.

"True, but now he hates you for a whole new set of reasons," Claudia said. "It's your fault that I got shot last year."

"During a meeting I wasn't even at - "

"Or with people you don't do business with," Claudia said. So technically no one had been aiming at her, but she'd still gotten caught in the crossfire and for whatever reason, her father decided to hold Jason responsible for the shooting.

"You weren't even shot," Jason said. "A bullet grazed you."

Claudia shrugged, "Doesn't matter," Claudia said. "It was still your fault I got shot."

* * *

"You're sure you want to do this?" Justus asked.

"Positive," Jason said.

"Jason, you should really reconsider this," Justus said. Regardless of the fact that the first three years of marriage had been without incident, Jason still needed to be careful. "Somewhere down the line there could be a conflict of interest or if she retained me first or if her interests conflict with yours but she's not directly opposed to you - "

"Add whatever clauses you need to add," Jason said. "I want this done."

"Be sure about this," Justus said. "This is a big step. I know you two run separate business ventures. But despite the fact that the two of you are married, I'll be bound by attorney-client privilege." It was unlikely that Claudia would use him for something that would encroach upon Jason's operations, but on the off-chance he did he wouldn't be able to warn him about it.

"I'm sure - just get it done," Jason said.

Justus nodded, "Okay."

"I want it by this afternoon," Jason said.

"I'll work on it this afternoon," Justus said. He understood that Jason respected Claudia, that he even trusted her a little. But he wasn't sure how far Jason was going to take this business marriage. It was one thing to trust Claudia's opinion, it was another to revamp his organization to mirror her father's. Jason's operations had diversified over the past three years and while he wasn't going to take unnecessary risks or compromise his business to impress Claudia, he was still concerned.

Jason watched Justus get up to leave, "Hey - I know what I'm doing," Jason said.

"I hope so," Justus said.

* * *

Claudia slipped her dress on and zipped it. She picked up a shirt from the floor and tossed it to Zander, "Get dressed," Claudia said.

Zander climbed out of bed, slipping on his boxers then his pants. "Your meeting isn't for a few more hours," Zander said. He walked up to Claudia and kissed her shoulder. "Come back to bed."

Claudia pushed Zander away, "I have meetings that don't include you," Claudia said. She'd been sleeping with Zander on and off for the past year. She was starting to think it was a bad idea, because he was starting to get a little too comfortable and forget that he worked for her.

"With who?" Zander asked.

"That's none of your concern," Claudia said. "You know what I tell you, when I need to tell you."

"Does Jason know?" Zander asked. He was well aware of the fact that Claudia's marriage to Jason was a business marriage. That was the only thing that kept him alive and in Claudia's bed, because he had no doubt that if their marriage was real, Claudia wouldn't give him a second glance and if she did, Jason wouldn't hesitate in killing him.

"It's with him," Claudia said.

"You schedule meetings with your husband?" Zander asked, buttoning his shirt.

"Sometimes," Claudia said, freshening her makeup. Jason called earlier and wanted to meet. Aside from living together and a few joint ventures, they really weren't involved in the other's life. He spent his days at the warehouse and his nights working or at Jake's. On the off chance he actually took some time off work, there was a good chance he was spending it with Carly, her kids or maybe his sister. She knew that he couldn't have remained celibate in the years they'd been married but she didn't have the slightest idea who he was sleeping with, if it was string of one-night stands or if there was someone regular.

Zander laughed softly as he put on his shoes and socks, "What a marriage," Zander said. "It's a good thing that he has power because that's about the only thing he has going for him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Claudia asked. She wasn't going to lie, as far as she was concerned Jason's power was his most attractive trait. If they weren't married, he'd be Port Charles' most eligible bachelor. He had more money than he knew what to do with, she didn't care because she had her own. He was more than a little easy on the eyes and if he were anyone but her husband, she'd probably make a play for him.

"He's a thug," Zander bitterly said. "He's a brain damaged idiot."

"Watch it Zander," Claudia warned. "You sound a little jealous." Technically, Jason was brain damaged. But he was far from being an idiot. In fact the side effects from his accident allowed him to excel at his profession. His absence of fear and ability to separate emotion from decision making were his greatest strengths. She knew he had some trouble with maps, but he could pay someone to read a map for him.

"I'm telling you the truth," Zander said. "Jason got lucky because Sonny's organization fell in his lap. He - "

Claudia laughed, "Fell in his lap? Jason's the reason there is an organization. After he gave it back to Sonny, he was the reason it was successful. Sonny may have been in charge, but Jason was running things."

"I - "

"Quit while you're ahead," Claudia snapped. She grabbed her jacket, "Call Logan and have him meet me at the warehouse in ten minutes. I want you to check in with my father and see if he needs you for anything."

"I thought I was your guard for today," Zander said.

"You were," Claudia said. "Change in plans." Claudia checked her makeup one last time, "Show yourself out. I'll call you when - if I need to see you."

Zander watched her leave and slammed his fist on the bed, "Great," Zander muttered. Who knew that she'd be so defensive of Jason? "Just great." It was hard to move your way up the ranks of an organization, but somehow Jason had managed to inherit Sonny's territory in less than ten years. That wasn't including the short time that Jason ran things when Sonny left the first time. He'd been working for the Zaccharas since he was seventeen, and he was starting to get the sense that he'd never move into the inner ranks of the organization. His best shot at moving up was keeping Claudia happy, in and out of the bedroom. Because he knew there was no way in hell that her father was going to give him more responsibility. In fact, Zacchara would probably have him killed if he found out he was sleeping with his daughter. Now he'd blown his one chance to move up by pissing off Claudia.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Glad everyone is enjoying this crazy idea I couldn't get out of my head. Jason's _girlfriend_ will be revealed in Part V. Also, to clarify John is Johnny Z. and Johnny is Jason's guard. Two Johnny's in one fic...a little confusing, but John is always John Z and never Johnny.

Part IV

Claudia offered a smile to Milo before walking into Jason's office. Too bad Milo worked for Jason, because she could definitely think of a few uses for him.

"Where's your guard?" Jason asked.

"Logan's right outside," Claudia said.

"He got here five minutes ago," Jason said. "Where's Zander?"

"On his way to meet my father," Claudia said.

He knew Claudia was sleeping with Zander, and for the most part he didn't care. What she did in the bedroom was her business, but what he did care about was that she didn't ditch her guards. "By whose order?" Jason asked. "He was with you when you left this morning."

"Monitoring my safety?" Claudia asked. "I'm touched, but it's none of your concern."

"No, it is my concern. It's my job to keep you alive," Jason said. The Zacchara guards were good at their jobs and as long as their enemies, both his and hers, remained at bay they could guard her. But the moment the danger escalated or if they entered a war, her guards were being replaced with his. If the stakes were high, he didn't trust anyone other than himself to keep her safe.

"So what you're telling me is that you care?" Claudia asked. Their arrangement had worked out exactly how Jason had intended. Not only did their union keep Alcazar and Faith from starting a war, she was able to carve out her own business ventures separate from her father. A large part of that was due to Jason, and she owed him. She wasn't entirely sure of his motive. Part of the reason was that some of the activities fell more into her jurisdiction than his, but she didn't doubt that he could've expanded his operations. Instead he let her run it. As for the property deeds, they were solely in her name. Most married couples exchanged gifts on holidays and anniversaries and they were no exception. Instead of sentimental gifts they exchanged property. For their first wedding anniversary, he'd given her the deed to an old warehouse on the far end of the waterfront and she'd given him a pier adjacent to his warehouse that she managed to buy from Faith. After the fact she realized they'd exchanged the traditional gift of paper, she told him and they had to do it every year. Last year's cotton was boring, while this year's leather would be fun even if it was predictable.

Jason shook his head, knowing that Claudia would keep asking him until he admitted it. He'd learned early on that it was sometimes easier to agree with her instead of avoiding an answer. "Yeah," Jason said.

Claudia smiled at the admission then shifted topics, "Why am I here?" Claudia asked.

"Aside from meeting up with your guard?" Jason asked.

"I'm handling it," Claudia said. She was going to have to have a talk with Zander about the separation between their personal and professional life.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," Jason said. "If Zander - " Jason paused, he and Claudia never really talked about who they were sleeping with. She'd told him once that she'd rather not know. That even though they weren't sleeping together and she was sleeping with someone else, it would bother her to know who was sleeping with her husband. With the exception of Zander, he didn't know who else had shared Claudia's bed. The only reason he knew about Zander was that he saw the way Zander's touch lingered when he was helping Claudia with her coat or how his hand brushed her arm when he opened the door. The simple fact that Claudia didn't have a reaction to it, told him what he needed to know. "If Zander can't do his job, you need to find someone who can."

"That's why Logan is outside the door," Claudia said. "Now tell me why I'm here before I leave."

"Justus drew up a new retainer agreement," Jason said, handing her the document.

Claudia scanned it, "For both of us?" Claudia asked.

"Household expense," Jason said. It made more sense to have one agreement rather than two. "There's a clause in there that if we're on opposite sides of a case, he'll be representing me and not you. Since we're both paying his retainer, you'll receive a prorated sum if he represents me."

"That's fine," Claudia said. She scanned it again, "Mind if I keep this for now?" She had some questions for Justus and then she wanted another lawyer, not Trevor, to look it over.

"Go ahead," Jason said.

"Are we done?" Claudia asked, glancing at her watch.

"Almost," Jason said. "James Craig approached me about helping him with a shipment. He wasn't specific but he wants me to guarantee the arrival of something. He also said he approached you and you turned him down."

"I don't like him," Claudia said.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," Claudia said. "I don't trust him." There was something off about him, something she didn't trust. Granted, she was suspicious by nature but there was something about him she didn't like.

"Anything specific or just a feeling?" Jason asked.

"Instinct," Claudia said. "I have a file on him at my office, I can have Zander bring it over. If you work with him, watch your back."

"Can you bring the file home tonight?" Jason asked. "I have a meeting with him in a few minutes. He should be here now."

"I can do that," Claudia said.

"I'll walk you out." He stood, and led her out of his office into the coffeehouse. "Don't ditch your guard."

Claudia groaned, "How is it ditching him if he takes orders from me?"

"He's not supposed to leave you alone," Jason said.

"That's a double-standard," Claudia said. "We both know that my shot is as good as yours, if not better."

Jason laughed softly, "You wish."

"Last time we went to the shooting range - whose target had more holes in it? Claudia asked. "Mine."

"My gun wasn't fully loaded," Jason said. Claudia was an excellent shot, he had to give her that. She told him once that she'd been going to the shooting range since she was twelve. Before her brother John was born, her father wanted to groom his daughter to take over. But once he had a son to turn everything over to, regardless of his son's disinterest, Claudia got pushed aside and she was merely keeping John's place - to quote her father.

"Excuses," Claudia said, laughing.

"Just go," Jason said.

"Bye," Claudia said, she turned away and nearly ran into James Craig.

"Mrs. Morgan," James said. He hadn't expected to see her here, but maybe it could work to his benefit that he had. "Mr. Morgan."

"_Mrs. Zacchara-Morgan_." She changed her name when they got married, but she rarely if ever used Morgan unless it suited her purposes. But right now, her purposes were to remind James Craig that she wasn't just Jason's wife, she was Claudia _Zacchara_.

"Mrs. Zacchara-Morgan," James said, reaching out for her hand. He made a move to kiss the back of her hand but Claudia pulled away. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Claudia glanced at him for a second then turned back to Jason, kissing his cheek, "I'll see you at home," Claudia said. "John's coming over for dinner."

"Remember what I told you," Jason said. "I'll be late for dinner - start without me." He had no intention of coming home for dinner, and Claudia knew it. She was just reminding him that their shipment was tonight and informing James Craig that even though they ran separate organizations, she had more influence over him than he ever would. Claudia nodded, offered a small wave and left.

James turned to watch Claudia walk out of the coffeehouse then followed Jason into his office, "Your wife is a beautiful woman," he said.

"Don't talk about my wife," Jason said. "What did you want me to help you with?"

"I have a shipment coming in - the contents are rather delicate and I need your guarantee of a safe arrival," James said.

"My wife turned you down," Jason said. Aside from a few joint ventures, their operations were completely separate. The only exceptions were that they utilized each other's resources, Claudia often used his ground transport services and he used her shipping lanes. Just because one of them didn't want to work with another person didn't prohibit the other from partnering up. But Claudia's reluctance to work with Craig made him cautious. "Why not go to someone else?"

"I want a guarantee that my shipment arrives intact," James aid. "You can give that to me, no one else can." He would've preferred to work with the wife on this one, she was less discerning than her husband. But having Morgan as a second option wasn't too shabby.

"I need specifics," Jason said. "I need to know what I'm moving."

"I assure you that it's nothing that violates your ethical code," James said, well aware of Jason's reluctance to move drugs. "Perhaps I could persuade your lovely wife to do business with me."

"Perhaps not," Jason said. "For whatever reason, she doesn't want to do business with you and if you want to do business with me, you need to not talk about her."

"You're rather protective of the missus," James said. "I never would've guessed it."

Claudia was right, there was something about this guy that he didn't like. He wasn't sure what, but he definitely had an agenda. "Whatever you think you know about my marriage, you don't," Jason said.

"Oh but I do," James said. "I know that the two of you got married to prevent a mob war, a brilliant strategy and it worked. I also know that your wife isn't faithful to you and for the right price - "

"You better choose your next words very carefully," Jason warned. He was well aware of the fact that Claudia wasn't faithful to him, he wasn't faithful to her either. James Craig was the only person who was stupid enough to mention it to his face. It was aggravating him but not for the reasons Craig thought. He didn't care that Claudia was unfaithful to him, what he cared about was that people respect their marriage and by implying his wife was a whore didn't respect either of them.

"Maybe you're not the right man for the job," James said. "I think I'll arrange another meeting with your wife. I'm positive that with some persuasion, we could work out those little details and come up with an agreement that works for both of us. I'd be more than happy to pay her for her time - "

Jason grabbed him and roughly shoved him towards the door. He pulled James back to him and lowered his voice so there was no mistaking the threat, "You look at my wife, you touch my wife - " Jason paused, to pull his gun out and shove it under James' chin. "If you even think about contacting my wife - I'll blow your head off."

"Touché," James said. Apparently, his information about the Zacchara-Morgan marriage had been incorrect. "Now about my shipment. I - "

"You'll need to find someone else to bring in your shipment," Jason said. "I'm not interested."

"Rest assured, you'll be well compensated for your troubles," James said.

"I don't need your money," Jason said. "My wife doesn't need your money. You might try contacting Faith Rosco - she needs your money."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: James Craig is not Jerry Jacks. He's an independent player. enjoy and let me know what you think :)

**Part V**

**January 2007**

"You're late," Gia said, letting Jason into her apartment. She had a plane to catch in a few hours. She was getting sick of out of town shoots, but she had to pay the bills somehow. Jason offered to pay her rent so she could go back to school, but she made enough money modeling to pay her own way. Just because she was having an affair with a married man didn't mean she was a kept woman.

"I brought dinner," Jason said, holding up a bag of takeout from Eli's.

Gia narrowed her eyes at Jason, "Cornbread?" she asked, smiling when he nodded. Eli's had the best cornbread in the tri-state area. "You're forgiven." She took the bag from Jason and set it down on the table, "You're not hungry now are you?"

Jason smiled, leading her over to the couch. "It's re-heatable," Jason said, pushing her back on the couch. He'd thought about bringing something a little fancier since this was Gia's last night in town for a while, but they both liked Eli's. In a way, that's where they got started. The place was packed and she sat down at his table instead of waiting for her own. An hour later they were back at her place.

"I have a plane to catch in four hours," Gia said. "I'll be gone for at least two months."

Jason kissed Gia a few more times then pulled back, "Sydney, right?" Jason asked, sitting up.

"Yeah," Gia said, sitting up then moving to straddle Jason. She slid her hands under his shirt, "But we'll deal with that later. You're all mine for the next two hours." The only time that Jason was all hers was when they were alone together, because that's the only time they were together. They'd been sleeping together on and off for the past two years. Neither of them planned it, it just happened one night. Then it kept happening. "Closer to three because I have to be downstairs at 9." She never planned on being the other woman, but this arrangement worked out just fine for her because she's not looking for love and Jason isn't either.

"Then you should make good use of your time," Jason said. This thing he had with Gia worked for both of them. They both had insane schedules and didn't have the time or the interest to devote to a relationship.

"You don't have to leave before nine do you?" Gia asked. "No late night mob meetings or dinner with the wife?"

"Not tonight," Jason said. "Do you really want to talk about Claudia?"

"No, I don't," Gia said. Maybe her being out of town shoot was a blessing in disguise. When she first found out how long she was going to be gone, she was disappointed. Technically she wasn't dating Jason, but she was sleeping with him and she did enjoy spending time with him, but their relationship could never progress further than that. And she was okay with that. She'd gone into this arrangement with her eyes wide open, but she was starting to rethink it. It was only natural for her to want more, but Jason couldn't give her more and she wasn't going to pressure him. She was going to use these two months to think about what she wanted out of life, and if that included Jason - great. If not, then she'd move on. But she didn't need to figure that out tonight. She smiled at him and lowered her mouth to his, "I don't want to talk at all."

* * *

**February 2007**

"We're going to be late," Claudia said. How long could it take for Jason to get ready? He didn't even need to pick out his clothes. All he had to do was put on the suit she picked out for him. She glanced in the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair. She caught Jason's reflection in the mirror and wondered why he was so adverse to wearing anything that wasn't cotton. Because he looked great in that suit. More than great, he looked amazing. If he were anyone but her husband, she'd try to get him alone tonight. But he was and the only reason their marriage worked was because they weren't sleeping together. She wasn't going to ruin it for a night of mindless sex. Although she had to admit, her marriage was destined to end someday. Why not go out with a bang?

Jason pulled on his tie, "They can't start without us. It's our casino," Jason said. "I don't see why I had to dress up. I own the place, I should be able to wear jeans.?"

"Co-own and I'm insisting on a formal dress code," Claudia said. "I want to get there early."

"I thought you wanted to make an entrance," Jason said. Tonight was opening night and the doors opened at eight, but Claudia had wanted to leave at nine.

"I do," Claudia said. "But I want to get there early enough to enjoy the night. You know the cops are going to be all over the Haunted Star."

"They're not going to find anything," Jason said. He'd managed to convince Luke to sell him the Haunted Star for a large amount of money and a share of the profits.

"They better not," Claudia said. "I paid a lot of money for this dress and if I have to spend one minute of tonight in the PCPD, I'm sending them the bill." She smoothed out her dress and picked up her necklace with one hand, while pushing aside her hair with the other. "Can you get this for me?"

Jason's eyes swept the length of Claudia's body. From where he was standing her dress was worth every penny, black silk clung to her so tightly her dress should be indecent but her dress covered her completely. Except for the long slit that went from mid-thigh to her ankle. "No problem." He stepped closer to Claudia and tried a few times to clasp her necklace. "Almost got it." Something as simple as a clasp shouldn't be frustrating him this much. He inadvertently brushed his fingers over her neck and looked up in the mirror. Claudia caught his gaze and winked at him. Jason cleared his throat and focused on the clasp, "Got it."

"I thought you'd be better with your hands," Claudia said. "Apparently, I was wrong."

* * *

Claudia looked around the Haunted Star and smiled. The place was packed and the PCPD hadn't shown up yet. Maybe opening night was going to go off without a hitch. Although if they did charge in here, the only thing they'd lose is a night's profits. The coverage in the papers would build their reputation faster than any marketing campaign.

"You did good," Anthony said.

"Thank you," Claudia said. She redecorated the Haunted Star, but she knew that wasn't what her father was referring to. "Isn't it a little late for you to be out?"

"You're not getting rid of me," Anthony said. "I want to take a good look at my investment."

Claudia shook her head, "My investment Daddy," Claudia said. "This is my casino - mine and Jason's. We used our own money, not yours. Every dollar that went into this casino - "

"Your money is my money," Anthony said. "All that money in your trust fund - it came from me. Every single dime you earned from my organization is my money. Don't forget that, Claudia."

"You're wrong," Claudia said. "Maybe all my money is linked to someone else. But you're not the only one that gave me a trust fund. Uncle Rudy left me some money when he died, that's the money I use to invest. I use yours to shop."

"We'll talk about this later, but I want to talk about how this casino is going to clean my money," Anthony said.

"No - no, we won't," Claudia said. "This casino is legit and it's going to stay that way." The main reason she wanted this casino legit was because no one would believe it. Every minute the PCPD spent searching for something that wasn't there, meant that was one minute they didn't spend looking into their operations. But the other reason was that she wanted more distance from her father.

Anthony reached forward and touched Claudia's face, smiling when she didn't flinch. "Not if I say so," Anthony said. "If I want this casino, I'll have it. You need to learn to respect your elders." Anthony applied a little more pressure to Claudia's face, "It's because of your disrespect that you'll never have control."

Claudia pulled away from her father, "I don't need you as much I used to," Claudia said. Despite being married to Jason, her father was still her biggest ally. Although most of her business decisions solidified her own holdings, the fact that she was a Zacchara meant that they solidified her father's too. But she was no longer someone who cashed in on her father's name. She was building her own reputation and her own connections, independent of both her father and Jason.

"I'll let you keep your casino," Anthony said. "For now. You've always been too independent for your own good. But the truth is that you're not strong enough to be on your own. You need a man to take care of you. When your husband finally tires of you, maybe I'll let you move back home. You can help me take care of Maria's roses. Her roses are beautiful. We'll have you over for dinner tomorrow. It's a shame she couldn't be here tonight."

Claudia looked at her father strangely, "Whatever you say Daddy," Claudia said. What was her father talking about? He never let anyone near his rose garden, especially her. Speaking of Maria, of course she wasn't here tonight - she was dead. "Daddy, it's getting late. Why don't you ask Zander to take you home? Tomorrow I'll come over to look at the roses."

"Busy night," Jason said. The casino operated at full capacity tonight. For most of the night there had been a line of people outside the door just waiting to get in. Partly because this was the only casino without one hundred miles. But there was also the intrigue that came with him and Claudia being involved with the mob. According to Claudia, people wanted a glimpse into the more glamourous side of their world and they'd pay a lot of money for that glimpse.

"I know," Claudia said, swirling the remaining vodka in her drink. "The busier it is, the more money we make."

"I saw your father leave earlier, he didn't stay long," Jason said.

"No, he didn't," Claudia said. "He - " Claudia paused, unsure how much she wanted to share with Jason about her father's mental condition. Her father had always flirted with insanity, he had ever since John had been born. Most days he was fine, he'd go years without any episodes. But then he'd slip into the past and talk about Maria as if she were still alive. That would last a few weeks and then he'd be fine again. But over the past few months he was having at least one or two episodes a week. "He gets tired easily."

Jason looked at Claudia for a few moments, wondering what she wasn't telling him. But also realizing it wasn't his place to push her for more details. "Are you almost ready to go or did you want to stay until they finish cleanup?" Jason asked.

"I can stay if you want to - " Claudia's voice trailed off as her gaze shifted towards the entrance. "What's he doing here?" She wasn't sure what James Craig's game was, but one thing she knew was that she didn't want a part of it. She had no idea if he ever got anyone to bring in his shipment. All she knew was that Jason refused him.

"Am I too late for the party?" James asked.

"We're closed," Jason said, motioning for Claudia to get behind him.

Claudia glared at him, "I can take care of myself," Claudia said. She instructed the casino staff to leave and walked behind the bar, a few moments later she reappeared with a gun.

Jason shook his head then focused on Craig, "What are you doing here?" Jason asked.

"I'm wondering if you need an outside investor," James said.

"Business is fine, you can leave," Claudia said.

"You heard her," Jason said. "We're closed and you're trespassing on private property."

"Should I shoot him?" Claudia asked. "I'd hate to get a stain on the carpet, but he is trespassing." James Craig had been laying low since she and Jason blew him off. She wasn't sure what his agenda was or what he hoped to accomplish, but one thing she knew was that she wanted him gone. Killing him tonight seemed too easy though. If she or Jason were going to take him out, it needed to be carefully planned and not in the moment.

"Seems like your wife is a little trigger happy," James said.

"She's right, you're trespassing," Jason said. "I told you to stay away from her."

Claudia quickly glanced at Jason then aimed her gun at Craig. When did Jason warn him to stay away? "You have ten seconds to tell me why you're here, before I shoot you," Claudia said. "If I get blood on this dress, the dry cleaning bill will be worth it."

"Are you letting your wife speak for you?" James asked.

"Now really isn't the time to disrespect her," Jason said. "She's the one with the gun." He hoped Claudia wasn't really planning to shoot him. It seemed like a setup and this place was already under enough scrutiny. A murder investigation would shut them down before they got a chance to make a profit. Maybe that was the plan.

Claudia pulled back the safety, "Ten, nine - "

"I'd start talking if I were you," Jason said.

James raised his hands in a mock surrender, "I heard from a mutual _friend_ that you were looking for an outside investor. Someone unaffiliated with the local scene, someone to give this place some legitimacy," James said.

Claudia walked closer to Craig, backing him up against the wall. "Give me a name," Claudia said, motioning for Craig to kneel.

"Are you going to let her push me around?" James asked. "I came here in good faith - "

Claudia quickly glanced at Jason, almost daring him to go against her. But she knew he wouldn't, the whole point of their marriage was to present a united front when faced with adversity. Someone trying to move in on their casino counted as adversity. She started to pull him to his feet then thought better of it and shoved him to the ground so he was lying flat on his back.

"She asked you for a name," Jason said, drawing his own gun. He was just waiting for Craig to make a move. Claudia had the situation under control, but he knew the only reason Craig wasn't fighting back was because he was in the room. "What number were you on? Nine?"

Claudia laughed, "Nine, eight - " Claudia paused briefly and stepped on James Craig, shoving her black stiletto near his throat. She really hoped he wouldn't call her bluff. She loved this pair of shoes. Her dress could be dry cleaned her shoes would be ruined. "Seven, six - "

James looked helplessly at Jason then up at Claudia. "Ms. Zacchara, I'm certain we can work out an arrangement that is beneficial for both of us, financially speaking of course," James said.

"_Mrs. Zacchara-Morgan_," Claudia said. "We've been over this already. I'm starting to think you're a slow learner. We've already discussed my name and that I own this casino with my husband. We don't want or need an outside investor. Who told you to come here?"

"Your father," James said, bluffing.

"Wrong answer," Claudia said. Sending Craig in on his own wasn't her father's style. He'd ask her outright for a piece of the casino, like he had earlier tonight. "Five, four - "

"Your brother attends NYU, doesn't he?" James asked. "He's a music major. When he's not practicing he spends most of his time with his pretty little girlfriend. What's her name? Brooke? Ah, Brook Lynn. Morgan, isn't she your cousin? That's keeping it all in the family."

"Stay away from my brother," Claudia said, stepping down harder. She didn't want to kill Craig tonight, especially here - but she would. "Harm him in any way or his girlfriend, I'll hunt down every member of your family."

"You're very protective of your family," James said. "Too bad your daddy isn't as protective of you."

"Three - "

James quickly sat up, and Claudia lost her balance and stumbled, her gun falling out of her hand. Before Craig had a chance to make a move for Claudia's gun, a single shot rang out and hit him square between the eyes. He fell back from the impact and Claudia took a few steps closer and touched his throat. A flurry of guards, Jason's and Claudia's, ran into the casino with their weapons drawn at the sound of gunfire.

"He's dead," Claudia said. She glanced down at her dress, wondering if there were any blood spatters.

"Worry about the dress later," Jason said. "Go home, I'll clean this up." Claudia was a professional, he knew that. The odds of Craig getting a hold of her gun before she shot him were slim at best. But he hadn't been willing to gamble with her safety.

"I can handle this," Claudia said. It wasn't the first time someone had been killed in front of her and she was certain it wouldn't be the last. But what she was certain of was that it was the first time Jason killed to protect her. Oddly enough, that's what bothered her the most about this evening. "I'll get the car, you get the body."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just to clarify, this is and will be a Jaudia fic in the end. Gia/Zander are/were means to an end...cause 3 years is a long time to go without sex...thanks to everyone leaving feedback :)

* * *

**Part VI**

**May 2007**

"Where are you?" Jason asked. He didn't have all night to wait around on Claudia. He'd been in themiddle of an important shipmentwhen she called him and told him she needed to meet with him - now.

"I'm almost there," Claudia said.

"You demanded to meet me and you're not even here," Jason said.

"I ran into a doctor on the way out and he had some questions for me," Claudia said. Her father's mental state was quickly deteriorating. He was drifting further and further into madness, and his lucid moments were becoming less and less.

"I thought you and John were going to hold off on committing your father," Jason said.

"I'm not sure that's for the best," Claudia said. Most of the time, her father rambled on about roses. But lately, he'd been making idle threats against her. He still hated the fact that she was involved in the family business and she was fairly certain that Trevor was feeding into her father's paranoia.

"That's what you wanted to meet about?" Jason asked. "Committing your father?"

"No," Claudia said. "I overheard something that's of interest."

Jason looked up when he heard a car, "That you?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Claudia said. "I'll see you in a - what the - " Claudia's voice trailed off as she dropped her phone and slammed on her brakes.

Jason watched as Claudia swerved her car, then veered off the road. He immediately started running towards the crash. "Claudia!" Jason shouted. He slowed down as he approached her car, it had rolled over a few times but was at least right side up. "Claudia?"

"Get me out of here," Claudia said, pounding on the window.

"Are you hurt?" Jason asked, trying to open the car door. Jason pulled at the door, but it wouldn't open. "Cover your face." He waited for Claudia to turn away and cover her face with her jacket and he kicked open the window. Brushing away the broken glass, he reached inside to pull her out, "Come on."

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Claudia climbed out of the car. "Great timing," Claudia said, shaking her hair and coat free from broken glass. She held her arm for a moment and took in a sharp breath.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked, leading her away from her car and towards his bike. "What the hell happened?"

"My brakes gave out," Claudia said, cursing when she stepped on a rock. Her ankle rolled and she closed her eyes for a few seconds, leaning on Jason for support. "I think I twisted my ankle. I - " Her voice trailed off as gunshots filled the air. Jason shoved her to the ground and they took cover behind a cement wall.

"Where's your guard?" Jason asked. He hadn't noticed anyone else in her car. Sometimes a guard drove with her and if he didn't, he should be following in the car behind her. Even though things finally settled down after he killed Craig, she had no excuse for ditching her guard.

It wasn't until after Craig _disappeared_ that the truth started to come out about his dealings. Since neither Jason or Claudia would transport his shipment, Craig became desperate and turned to Faith. True to form, for the right price Faith would move anything. However, without a strong partner she couldn't guarantee it would arrive in tact. Unlucky for Craig, but lucky for everyone else Faith had been under surveillance by the FBI and they seized the contents of the shipment before it was even unloaded. Craig had been on a rampage after that and started making trouble for Faith. Craig went to the Haunted Star that night to get information to use against them, but he made a mistake coming after them. A mistake that cost Craig his life. As usual, Jason and Claudia were the PCPD's first suspects but there was no evidence, not even anything circumstantial, so Mac had no choice but to let them go.

"Now really isn't the time to argue about me ditching my guard," Claudia said. Honestly, she wasn't sure who she could trust anymore. Zander hadn't reacted well to her ending their sexual relationship so she sent him to NYU to guard John. Zander had been the one person on her father's payroll that she was confident was loyal to her. Logan was a competent guard, he'd never given her any reason to question him or his abilities but he also hadn't given her any indication that he was loyal to her, not her father or Trevor. "In case you didn't notice, someone is shooting at us."

"I noticed," Jason said, pulling out his gun. "Where's yours?"

"In the car," Claudia said. "Feel free to run back and go get it."

Another shot rang out and he pushed her back further against the wall, "Who's after you? Faith? Your father? Karpov?" If this incident had happened before they were married or even during that first year of marriage, he would've thought that Claudia set him up, that she would've found someway to lure him to the overlook then have her guys kill him while making it look like she was the intended victim. The crazy thing was that she probably could've pulled it off, because she really was that smart. But she knew that killing him would kill her biggest ally, and take away all of her holdings. Claudia may be overly ambitious but she wasn't stupid.

"My guess is Trevor hired someone to get rid of me," Claudia said. "He's working with Alcazar. I'll tell you all about it as soon as you get us out of here."

"How bad is your ankle? Do you think you can run?" Claudia nodded. "Good. I'm going to shoot and I want you to run. There's a cabin about a mile from here, keep running until you get there," Jason said.

"And leave you?" Claudia asked. "Jason, I'm not leaving you alone with someone shooting at - "

Jason turned around and fired in the direction of the shooter, "GO!" Jason shoved her forward. "I'll be right behind you." He wanted Claudia to get a head start so he could distract the shooter again if necessary.

Realizing that she didn't have time to argue, Claudia took off in the direction of the cabin. She had a general idea of where it was and her one goal was getting there alive. Her adrenaline kicked in and she could barely feel her throbbing ankle. She turned around and could see Jason running behind her. She made a mental note that if she was ever going to be running from a crazed hit man to wear boots with a low heel.

* * *

"Now what?" Claudia asked, sitting down on the floor stretching out her leg. She winced slightly has her foot hit the table leg that Jason had turned on its' side.

"We wait," Jason said. Luckily, his phone still had a signal and he was able to get through to Johnny. Claudia mentioned that Trevor was responsible for this hit attempt, he had no idea who the shooter was and if they were going to leave the job unfinished.

"We're sitting ducks," Claudia said. They'd barricaded the place as best they could, but that didn't change the fact that they were sitting in an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. If they could get in, so could the shooter. No amount of furniture was going to keep out someone with a high-powered rifle.

"If you want to walk to the road, try to hitch a ride or call for help - be my guest," Jason said. He would like to say that his life would be less complicated without Claudia in it, but he couldn't say that with certainty. His life definitely wouldn't be any more dangerous, on one hand marrying Claudia made him safer. It meant that Anthony Zacchara couldn't kill him for no reason. On the other hand, it meant that all the Zacchara's enemies, especially Claudia's, became his by default.

"Fine, we wait," Claudia said. She started to unzip her boot then thought better of it, pressure of being zipped was keeping it from swelling. So what if there was a little pain, she could handle pain, she'd been handling it her whole life.

"Sure you're okay?" Jason asked, moving closer to Claudia. He reached out for her ankle and she tensed up. "Hold still."

"I'm fine," Claudia insisted. "Just don't - " Claudia flinched when Jason touched her foot.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Jason asked. It was impossible to tell how messed up her ankle was without taking off her boot, but doing that now wasn't a good idea. She'd been conscious when he got to her car and she didn't mention hitting her head so she probably didn't have a concussion. Jason brushed back the hair from Claudia's face, checking if she had any bruises. "Any dizziness or blurred vision?" Jason carefully slid his hand along Claudia's jaw, waiting to see if she'd wince. He gently turned her chin so she was facing him. "Look at me." Claudia's dark eyes stared back at him, her stare unwavering. She licked her lips and Jason let go of her chin. "Your pupils aren't dialated."

"Thank you Dr. Morgan," Claudia said, quickly averting her eyes from Jason's intense stare. "I have a few scrapes and a twisted ankle. I'm fine, considering - "

"Considering Trevor tried to kill you," Jason said. "What did you overhear at Shadybrook?"

"Alcazar was there," Claudia said. "I overheard him talking to the Director, he was talking about making a large donation."

"In exchange for what?" Jason asked.

"Help taking care of a very special patient," Claudia said.

"How did he know you were thinking of admitting your father?" Jason asked.

"It had to be Trevor," Claudia said. "Aside from you and John, no one else knew. Only my guards - " Claudia slammed her hand on the floor. "Dammit!"

"Who went with you to Shadybrook tonight?" Jason asked.

"No one," Claudia said. "Zander was the only guard I trusted, he's with John now." Claudia laughed bitterly, "You know, I told my father that Trevor couldn't be trusted, that he was taking advantage of his loyalty but he told me I was jealous. He told me that I should worry about my own life and let him worry about his."

All the pieces started to fall into place for Jason. With Claudia dead and John disinterested in the business, the Zacchara territory would be ripe for the taking. Technically, his property would revert to John upon Claudia's death and if John was truly disinterested he would sell it to Trevor who in turn would sell it to Alcazar. Either that or he'd use it as a bargaining chip to work with Alcazar. Trevor's problem was that he got greedy, he wanted things that weren't his - the Zacchara territory. Alcazar had been laying low for the past two years, he moved the South America and hadn't been heard from since. Apparently, Alcazar hadn't gotten less ambitious during his time away if he was willing to try to take down the Zaccharas. The risk was high but the payout was even greater. "Starting tomorrow you don't go anywhere without Milo," Jason said. "Keep up your normal routine - "

"It's not normal for me to have one of your guards," Claudia said. "Send Milo to New York to guard John and I'll have Zander come back here."

"Leave Zander there," Jason said. "Don't visit your father for a few days - "

"I can't leave him there alone," Claudia said. Jason didn't know how insane her father was. Her father was so vulnerable right now, she couldn't leave him there with Trevor.

"If you want to live, you will," Jason said. "They can't kill your father if you're alive." He'd seen a copy of Zacchara's will and everything went to John with Claudia as trustee. Everything would be turned over to him when he turned 25 which was 3 years away. He heard someone pounding on the door and lowered his voice, "Don't move."

"Jason?" Johnny called, pounding on the door.

"Hold on," Jason said, getting up. He pushed the armoire out of the way and opened the door.

Johnny entered the cabin with five guards behind him, "You know if you wanted a romantic weekend with your wife, I could've recommended a place," Johnny said. "There's this bed and breakfast - "

Jason glared at Johnny, "Did you get the shooter?" Jason asked.

"Milo did," Johnny said, and gestured to Claudia, "Someone can take you home. Jason - "

"Wait a minute," Claudia said. "I don't know what your problem is, but just because I'm a woman and a Zacchara doesn't give you the right to dismiss me. I have every right to be here, maybe more so than you and your cavalry."

"You're right," Jason said. "You do, but you also need to take care of that ankle before it gets any worse." Jason tossed his keys to Johnny, "Take my bike home and get her car out of here, I'm taking your car."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: There's one more chapter after this. Thanks for reading :)

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Part VII

Claudia sat on the edge of her bed, grimacing as she sat down. "I've never been so happy to be home," Claudia said, carefully taking off her jacket. Her brakes were cut, she'd been shot at and she'd sprained her ankle. Her father's lawyer was trying to kill her and her father was insane. But now that she was home, she wouldn't have to deal with any of that until tomorrow.

"I'll be right back," Jason said.

Claudia grabbed Jason's arm, stopping him. "Thank you," Claudia said.

"For what?" Jason asked.

"For - " Claudia paused. Thanking him for saving her seemed so trite. In a way, he saved her from herself. Honestly, she wasn't sure how different her life would be if he hadn't proposed a business marriage. She was positive she'd be miserable right now if she didn't have her own business interests, separate from her father. It had taken a few years but they finally trusted each other. "For trusting me."

Jason nodded slowly,"Trust me to keep you safe," Jason said. "Starting tomorrow, Milo's on you. You're not going anywhere without a guard and if you don't trust yours, use mine."

"Fine," Claudia said. As much as she wanted to argue with Jason, he was right. She wasn't sure who she could trust anymore. Her guards were loyal to her father, not her and those that weren't loyal to him had probably been bought off by Trevor. At least Milo had a reason for wanting to keep her alive - Jason would kill him if he let her die. She knew that to protect his interests he had to protect her, that it was a smart business move and nothing more. But it kept her alive and would keep John safe, that's all that mattered. Besides, she was too tired to argue.

Jason disappeared into her bathroom for a few minutes and handed her a glass of water and a few aspirin, "Here," Jason said, setting a first aid kit and damp washcloth on her bed.

"Can I get something stronger?" Claudia asked.

"To drink or for the pain?" Jason asked. "Do you want me to call a doctor?"

"Something to drink," Claudia said. A little alcohol with numb her aches and pains. "Don't call a doctor - I don't need one. You used to be pre-med, show me what you got."

Jason shook his head, and wandered out to her sitting room to get her a glass of brandy to wash down her aspirin. "Here." Claudia obediently took the aspirin and handed Jason the glass when she finished. He set it on her night stand and motioned for her to move on the bed. "You need to get out of those boots."

Claudia slid over on the bed and leaned forward to unzip her boots, but fell back as soon as she reached for the zipper. "Adrenaline's gone," Claudia said, closing her eyes for a few moments. She didn't have any serious injuries from the car accident, just scrapes and bruises but her body was sore. Running around the woods on three-inch heels hadn't done anything for her twisted ankle.

"Let me," Jason said, unzipping Claudia's knee-high leather boots. Jason didn't say a word as he tended to her ankle. He wrapped it then went downstairs to get some ice, "You need to elevate that," Jason said, reaching behind Claudia for one of her pillows and placing it under her foot. Sitting down next to her, he looked at the one cut still bleeding on her arm and bandaged it, "This doesn't need stitches."

"So I'm going to live?" Claudia asked.

"At least for tonight," Jason said. He lightly brushed his fingers over Claudia's shoulder, "That's going to bruise."

"Bruises fade," Claudia said, shivering at Jason's touch.

"They do," Jason said. "You should get some rest - let me know if you need anything."

Claudia nodded and as Jason started get up she pulled him back to her and kissed him. She teased him with a short kiss and when he didn't pull back, she deepened it. She wasn't sure what had come over her. Kissing Jason was probably the most self-destructive thing she had ever done. She prided herself on being the one in control, and right now she was losing control. This marriage had given her a sense of freedom she'd never had.

Claudia pulled back from Jason and leaned back on the bed, smiling at the dazed look on Jason's face. "I'll let you know if I need anything," Claudia said. "Like a drink or a sponge bath or a snack."

"Yeah, you do that," Jason said.

"Can you get the light?" Claudia asked.

"Yeah, no problem," Jason said. He got up and gave Claudia one last look before leaving the room. What the hell just happened in there? One accident coupled with a shootout and before he knew what happened he was kissing his wife. Or rather, she was kissing him and he hadn't wanted her to stop.

His first instinct had been to pull away, but he couldn't. God help him. He wanted his wife. He hated knowing that Zander had been with her. He hated it because it meant she wasn't safe, but that was a lie. It turns out he lied to himself without even realizing it. He thought he didn't care who Claudia slept with, and for the most part he didn't. But knowing it was Zander who shared her bed night after night started to grate on him.

The reason their marriage worked was because it wasn't personal. Sleeping with his wife, although it would be enjoyable, would be a bad idea. Sex made things more complicated. Their marriage was already complicated enough without sex and with it - Jason shook his head and headed straight to the bathroom, turning the water to cold.

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"Is there anywhere you need to go today?" Jason asked.

Claudia shook her head, "No," Claudia said. "I thought I was on house arrest." Claudia laughed. "On second thought, that could be fun. You could get some handcuffs and - "

"Have you talked to your father today?" Jason asked.

Claudia rolled her eyes when she realized that everything was business as usual between the two of them. Jason was going to ignore the fact that they kissed last night. It wasn't just that they kissed, he'd kissed her back. She'd seen the look in his eyes when he pulled away and she knew he wanted her, but he wasn't going to make a move. Sometimes it irritated her how practical Jason was, but maybe this was the time for business and she could worry about her personal life later. Trevor was out for blood and he wasn't going to stop until she was dead. So that meant she had to kill him first.

"Yes," Claudia said. "I spoke to him earlier, he invited us over for dinner." She thought her father was having a good day, then he mentioned that he'd have Maria prepare her favorite dish for dinner. He wanted her to stop by early so Maria could show her one of her newest blooms. "I told him I wasn't feeling well. He told me to have someone taste my coffee."

"What?" Jason asked.

"He asked if I felt ill after meals, I told him yes. Then when he asked if you got ill, I told him no. Then he suggested having a guard taste everything you give me," Claudia said. Even with his mind in shambles, her father was still paranoid.

"He thinks I'm poisoning you?" Jason asked.

"Or something," Claudia said.

Jason shook his head, "Next time you talk to him, let him know that my guards will be handling your security. I don't care how you spin it. Tell him you don't trust his guys or we're consolidating security. But the next time you leave, Milo goes with you. I don't want you going to your father's house or anywhere Trevor might be without me."

"Will do," Claudia said. Trevor was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to come right out and threaten her. He played his cards close to the vest and he'd play them even closer if Jason was his shadow. On one hand, it was a bad thing because she wouldn't be able to trip him up or bait him. On the other hand, it was a smart move because it forced her to be strategic. "I did some thinking last night. We need to get rid of Trevor, my father and Alcazar."

"I thought you were going to commit your father," Jason said.

"I am," Claudia said. "I can't send him to Shadybrook, not if Alcazar's has influence there." Her father was a bastard and wanted her dead on most days, but the fact of the matter was that he was still her father. If anyone killed him, it was going to be her. And until he made a direct attempt on her life she wasn't going to kill him. She also couldn't send him somewhere that left him vulnerable to Trevor. Especially not until she got power of attorney.

"We can check out Ferncliff or Oakhaven in Pennsylvania," Jason said.

"I need power of attorney," Claudia said. Thank God, she had an attorney she trusted. There was no way in hell that Justus would even consider breathing a word of this to Trevor or her father. She couldn't be so sure about any of the other lawyers in the state, but Justus was going to keep his mouth shut.

"There's no way you're going to get him to sign it over to you," Jason said.

"John can get it," Claudia said. "I'll have to tell him everything and he can tell Daddy that he wants to start working in the family business." It was risky, but it'd work. It'd have to work. John was as disinterested in the organization as he had ever been. He was focusing on his music and enjoying the fact that he had a personal life. But he was still her little brother and he trusted her more than her father. She was counting on that.

"It will limit Trevor's power," Jason said. "It'll make you seem like less of a threat if John's getting involved."

"It could also push me out," Claudia said. Just because she was more involved with the operations of her father's business, it didn't mean her name was on anything.

"John's not going to let Trevor push you out," Jason said.

"To make this look real, he might have to," Claudia said. "We can't kill Trevor now, it's too risky."

"You're right," Jason said. "But once he's out of the picture and everything is in your control, it'll be safe to kill him."

"I want to kill the bastard myself," Claudia said. "You can kill Alcazar."

"That's fine," Jason said. "Call your brother, I'll call Justus and have him start looking into Ferncliff and Oakhaven."


End file.
